


Bittersweet Valentine

by Corvidology



Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: Chocolate Box Exchange 2018, Chocolate Box Treat, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Valentine's Day, bittersweet memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-17 01:19:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13648431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corvidology/pseuds/Corvidology
Summary: "Dear god, Abe, have you lost your mind?"





	Bittersweet Valentine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Small_Hobbit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_Hobbit/gifts).



"Dear god, Abe, have you lost your mind?"

He'd arrived home from work to find every surface of the antiques store covered in garish red and pink decorations. 

Abe turned slightly from where he was standing on a step stool, a golden paper cherub dangling from one hand. "Good evening to you too, Henry."

He was ashamed of his manners. "I'm sorry, Abe. That was terribly rude of me but it looks like a Pepto-Bismol factory exploded in here."

"I'm decorating for Valentine's Day."

He picked up a giant lurid love heart proclaiming 'Will you be mine?', holding it tentatively between finger and thumb like it might be infectious. "I never would have guessed."

Abe rolled his eyes at him before turning his attention back to hanging up the cherub. "There's fresh tea, if you want it." 

Of course he wanted it. He ducked to avoid a particularly large mobile of paper hearts and cupids in order to reach the teapot on the table and pour a cup, adding a splash of milk. 

"What's all this about, Abe?"

Abe tugged lightly at one of the cherub's wings to correct its angle before climbing down from the step stool and picking up an old biscuit tin from the shelf. "Do you remember how I used to make a Valentine's card for mom every year?"

"Of course I do. She loved them." He sipped his tea with a small nod of appreciation. 

Abe set the tin down on the table. "I was digging through storage and found this. She kept all of them."

"That she'd keep your Valentine cards should hardly come as a surprise."

"Still, it was nice to find them."

He put his hand over Abe's, squeezing it lightly. "Abigail was proud of everything you did."

"So I decided to decorate." Abe moved away. "I'm just going to work on the windows and then we'll have dinner."

He pulled the box closer, taking out a handful of the cards inside, smiling fondly at the memories they brought back to him of Abigail and their young son.

At least until he ran across the one Abe had drawn shortly after finding out about his immortality. 

Abe had chosen a plain grey paper and drawn in black an hour glass with little hearts running out instead of grains of sand. He hadn't even signed it. 

Abigail had been hurt by her son's confusion and anger but knew his heart and so had hugged and kissed Abe and thanked him for the card. 

Later, after Abe had gone to bed, she'd cried herself to sleep in his arms. 

 

Their son had grown into a man any mother would be proud of, decent, kind and honorable. He slipped the card into his inside breast pocket, certain that Abe didn't need to see it again, and went to help Abe scatter love hearts in the windows.


End file.
